Immortality and Mutation
by Vampire Anakin
Summary: Jesse is attacked in an alley and rescued by a boy, Kurt Wagner, who takes him to Xavier's school. The two become friends, but Magneto attacks and Jesse is caught in the midst. Kurt reveals his secret, but will he live long enough to hear Jesse's?
1. Downwards

**Prologue**

Jesse stumbled wearily along an abandoned street in the bad side of Westchester, New York. The 12-hour ride from Treegap had drained his energy, and he had left his motorcycle by a parking meter somewhere. He vaguely remembered that it wouldn't be there, though.A cop-or had it been some other official?-had confiscated it when Jesse had failed to put his last few quarters in the meter. But it didn't matter, he'd never use a motorcycle again...oh, that's right. He couldn't die. What a joke. Life was a big, shammish joke without her. Without Winnie.

Jesse's thoughts whirled around in his head, his eyes barely wide enough to register the dirty, cracked pavement, the random litter, trashed vehicles, the cigar smoke wafting from an overhead window. His love was gone, he'd come too late, why couldn't he just go, why, why, why, why...?

He never saw the fist coming before it slammed into his jaw.

**Chapter 1**

Jesse staggered backward, his jaw throbbing from the blow. A thug in a red ski mask stood in front of him, gun cocked and eyes wild.

"Wallet. Now"

Jesse just stared down the barrell of the pistol, wishing that he could die when it fired...

And suddenly the thug was gone. Jesse blinked, his sapphire eyes fighting the haze of smoke that suddenly flooded the alley. A boy- a _**boy**,_ stood up from the shadows, revealing the thug's limp form lying on the acohol-soaked pavement with a small stream of blood running from his mouth.

Jesse blinked again, and barely had time to see the face of his underaged rescuer before he blacked out. But he had time to seethe eyes...

...and he realized they were yellow.


	2. Turnaround

Chapter 2

Jesse woke on a metal table in an unfamiliar room. Panic instantly clawed his mind. Where am I? Oh man, what about that kid? Oh man-

"Don't be afraid." Jesse looked over his shoulder and saw a woman, red-haired and slender. She smiled. "I'm Jean Grey. This is Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. You were attacked in an alley and one of our students brought you here."

Jesse stammered out an alias: "I'm Andrew-Andrew Foster. Is that kid alright?"

Jean nodded. "Kurt Wagner. He's fine. He's been asking about you all day. You'll be seeing him soon. Also, Proffessor Xavier will be here in a moment. In the meantime, get your shirt on. You check out fine. You were lucky. Most thugs just shoot then take the loot." She handed Jesse his black T-shirt, and he gratefully slipped it on. As he climbed off the table, the door opened. A man in a wheelchair, followed closely by a boy with blue-black hair, entered the room. Jean made the introductions.

"Proffessor Charles Xavier, this is Andrew Foster. Andrew, this is Professor Xavier and Kurt Wagner."

Jesse nodded. "It's a pleasure. Thank you so much for your help." He looked directly at Kurt during the last comment, rememnering the yellow eyes of last night. Kurt smiled, and Jesse grinned back, realizing he must have been imagining things. Kurt's eyes were brown.

"It's our pleasure, Mr. Foster," said Xavier. "Please feel free to stay here if you have no other accomadations. We have ample room, and Kurt here can show you the sights."

Jesse was ready to politely decline, then realized he had no place else to go. Without Winnie, he didn't really want to go anywhere. He would leave long before anyone could get suspicious, and they seemed friendly enough. "Thank you. I'm afraid I'll have to take you up on that."

Xavier smiled, a gesture which instantly put Jesse at ease. "Wonderful. Kurt will show you around while Jean gets your room ready. If you'll excuse me, I have a class in five minutes." Jesse nodded. "Thank you again."

Once Jean went to get Jesse's room ready and Xavier left, Kurt dragged Jesse out the door, asking questions all the way.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Sveet! I'm sixteen. Vhere are you from? I'm from Germany, but I came over here to go to school."

"Cool. I pretty much just travel right now."

Jesse's dark thoughts were slowly brightening as Kurt continued with active dialogue. He might actually like this place.

"...And here's the kitchen. Don't show up when Logan cooks though, his pancakes are vorse than eating plastic!"

Their laughter echoed in the sunlit hall, and a friendship was born.


	3. Contrary

A/U: Here's the next chapter, long delayed! Thanks to PyrgusFinn for reviewing! Please guys I need MORE REVIEWS! I don't care if you flame me, just...write something! I'm crawling in the dark here. Anyway...hope you enjoy!

Jesse turned over in bed that night, thinking about Winnie.

He should have come back sooner. That's all there was to it. He couldn't have seriously expected her to wait so long for a guy she'd only known for a few days. He should have taken the risk; she was worth it, wasn't she? Well? Wasn't she?

He bit his lip. No. If she'd drank, her life would have been ruined. I'm being selfish. It was for the best.

A breeze blew through his open window, ruffling his shadowed tresses. It carried the scent of rain, fresha and cool. It was for the best. The first thunderclap sounded far in the distance, reminding him of that night he and Winnie had gone to rescue Mae from hanging. The lighting shining in her hair, her determined expression...

It was for the best.

He turned again as another clap rumbled, wondering if he would ever make himself believe it.

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Kurt stared at the sky, unable to sleep.His thoughts wandered around, sometimes resting on long-buried memories that made tears streak his face. These he shoved aside as soon as possible, burying them again. Until the next storm.

But the one most prominent thought was Andrew. Kurt had seen the pain onhis face that night in the alley. The look of someone who couldn't be accepted, one who thought they had lost eveything...and thenlost something else. Kurt had no idea what had put that look on Andrew's face, but he intended to find out. He had taken an instant liking to the mysterious man. There was something in his eyes that spoke of endless days spent running through sunlit woods, evenings spent beneath a blanket woven of stars. Yet also there was, more recently added, the words of unspeakable pain, unheard of heartache, devastating loss. Kurt knew that it took a while for such memories to blend the way they had in Andrew's eyes. And such days were not meant to remain hidden under masks and fake smiles.

As the first drops of rain splattered on Kurt's face, he knew what he had to do.

He smiled, the next lightning flash revealing white fangs.


	4. Onwards

A/U: I'm not going to apologize for the delay since no one is reading this anyway. :-( I know I skipa lot of timebut I hate fillers. Well, thatand I'm terrible with angst. Also a lot of the scenes in this story will be at night, as contrast to Tuck Everlsating taking place in sunny summer. Although I want you to picture Kurt as he looks in X-Men: Evolution, I want you to picture everyone else as they look in the movies. And Kurt's attitude ismore or less coming from Uncanny X-Men.Well...if you are reading, please review so I don't feel so neglected.

Also, if you get any whiff of slash content, let me know. _None is intended!_

"There's Orion."

"Vhere?"

"Right over your head."

"Huh?"

"No wonder you can't see it, you're staringinto space instead of at the stars,genius!"

Kurt turned around, raising his eyes to sky and turning circles around a grinning Jesse. It was two weeks after Kurt had found the youngest Tuck stumbling red-eyed through an alley ready to have his head blown off. Two weeks since Jesse had lost the love of his life. So much had happened since then...

Winnie had been the axis of Jesse's universe. All his dreams, plans,and hopes had countedon her being beside him. When his little world had collapsed on him, he'd lost sight of everything Winnie had loved him for. His carefree attitude, his passion for every new sunrise, his love of running through the rain just to get wet- all that had dissapeared when he had seen Winnie's grave.

But then, Kurt had found him. Kurt- carefree and caring,playful andplacid. Professor Xavier- mentor and teacher. Dr. Grey- gentle and clever. Mr. Summers- aloof and responsible. Ororo Munroe- kind and diligent. And gruff, cool Logan.

These people had reminded Jesse of what life- no matter how long- was about.Had accepted him into Xavier's Institute as a temporary student. Had broughtback the adventuress teenager Jesse had been.Since he'd met them, he had learned to move on. He still missed Winnie, but he charished those memories instead of dreading them.

Jesse Tuck was back.

Kurt nudged him in the shoulder, still staring upwards. "Hey, mind pointing out vhat I'm supposed to be looking at? I'm getting a stiff neck here."

Jesse grinned, putting an arm around the German boy's shoulderand pointing out the line of three stars that was Orion's belt. "And then just follow the middle star up, there's his head..."

And suddenly Kurt, who was leaning back too far,fell over backwards, dragging Jesse down with him. The two landed in a heap, Kurt on top.

"Vhoa! Sorry Andrew!"

"Git 'er elo oha i ou!"

"Huh?" the teen said, shifting position a little.

"I said," Jesse growled,"get your elbow out of my mouth!"

"Vhoops! Is it just me, or am I sensing some hostility- Oufh!"

Jesse grabbed Kurt by the collar of his jacket and dragged him down, and the two wrestledall over the lawn until Dr. Grey called for curfew and they went to their seperate rooms, covered in grass and grins.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Meanwhile**

"I don't understand Professor."

"Neither do I, Jean. I've referenced and cross-referenced that boy's blood with every type, mutant, human and even hybrids, butthat one single strand still doesn't match up."

"But if he's a mutant it could be possible..."

"No, it would still qualify as the X-factor. There is something odd about that boy. Not only is his blood anunknown type, but I checked his name on every document in existence. There is no one called Andrew Foster that is still alive."

Scott Summers shook his head. "He's dangerous, Professor. If he's lied about his identity who knows what else he's hiding."

"Scott,that boy, no matter how mysterious,means no harm. If he did I would have asked him to leave long ago."

"Can't you just probe his mind-"

"I have tapped into his surface thoughts, yes. Jean, this boy has changed, even in just these two weeks. He's learning to trust us. If we bide our time, I'm certain he'll begin to open up."

"Professor-"

"Scott, my descision is final. That boy is staying." Xavier rubbed his temples. "No matter what he turns out to be."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Next Morning**

The only evidence that it wasn't still night was the grey hue tinging the puddles in shades reminiscent of black pearls. Thunder growled like a caged animal. Rivers raced down Kurt's window, echoing the thoughtsflowingthrough his mind.

Andrew had become a closer friend in the past days than Kurt could remember since leaving the circus. They had talked, played andstudied together. Kurt had finally got Andrew to tell him why he'd been wandering around likea lost child. His girlfriend had died. He hadn't even known until he'd seen her grave. Goodness knew what had been going through his mind, Kurt reflected, after a shock like that.

That had been part of his arguement to the Professor when he'd been told that Andrew had lied to them. His reasoning had held-barely.

But what was it that Andrew was trying so hard to conceal? Why did he feel he had to lie to them...to him? What was so hard for him to reveal?

Kurt knew what he was planning was risky. But the only real way to get someone to trust you was to trust them first.

"Vell, mein freund, don't let me down now," Kurt said aloud as he walked into the hallway, ready to go through with his plan.


	5. Revelation

AN: Thanks to Rasa Rainboweyes and Dark Angel for reviewing! -Hugs all reviewers- Now I don't feel neglected! This may be a short chapter, but I am making progress:)

**(Ten minutes later.)**

Kurt turned a corner in the hallway and nearly collided with Andrew. "Hey Kurt, where's everyone gone to? Ororo was doing arts class and everyone suddenly left." Kurt frowned. "Vhat...?"

That was when the Professor's mental message got through.

-Nightcrawler, come to my study immediantly. Bring Andrew.-

-I read you, Professor.-

Kurt made an about-face and began running through the empty hallway, calling "Follow me!" in response to his friend's questions.In the mayhem that ensued, Jesse barely noticed that Kurt was darting around with a dexterity that no normal human could have managed.

Kurt led the youngest Tuck to a dark paneled door and paused. Jesse ran into his shoulder with a mumbled "Sorry," as Kurt opened the door. All questions died on Jesse' lips as he took in the scene before him.

Professor Xavier, Scott, Ororo and Logan were gathered in the room. Scott's eyes were now covered with a red and gold visor, and he was clad in black leather. Ororo and Logan wore identical outfits. Logan's hands dangled at his sides, and three metal spikes extended from each one. Ororo stood at the window, her hands pressed against the glass and her forhead dripping sweat as she concentrated. Jesse looked out the window, and immediantly wished he hadn't.

-What's going on?- he wondered. He stared at Logan's hands, the claws that hung from them.

What had Jesse Tuck gotten himself into?


	6. Suffocate

AN: Yes, I know it's been way too long between updates, but what can I say? I update when I can. No sooner, no later. So here's the long-awaited sixth chapter.

For a long tense moment no one spoke. Then Professor Xavier held out a hand, gesturing to Jesse to stand in front of his desk. The youngest Tuck seated himself, throwing a concerned glance at Ororo, whose hand was leaving a sweaty print on the window. Outside, what looked like a concentrated hurricane raged over a sillouette that looked suspiciously like a jet.

Tearing his eyes from the white-haired woman, Jesse stared in stupification at Logan and Scott. The visor over the younger man's eyes resembled a red slash, making him look like a futuristic cyclops. The silver claws jutting from Logan's hands glinted in the lamplight.

Looking to Professor Xavier, Jesse asked "Are you going to tell me?"

The professor smiled grimly. "Yes, Jesse, we're going to tell you." A moment of silence followed where it hit Jesse that Xavier had used his real name. _No way he could know that, unless..._

"You read my mind." Numb with slow realization, Jesse sank lower in his chair. Slow memories came back, of whispers in the underworlds he'd explored in the centuries of his wanderings, the rumors of people that weren't human. Those grunted half-murmers had reached his ears long before the media caught up, telling the world of the new race that had entered their world, of the people called mutants.

_He read my mind..._

Half frightened of what he would see, Jesse looked Xavier in the eye. "You're mutants."

The professor's smile dissapeared all together, replaced by determination and something like sadness. "Yes, Jesse, we're mutants. And as much as I hate to ask, I'm afraid I must: What are you?"

Jesse froze. _He knows...He knows I'm not normal..._

Heart in his throat and knowing what was coming, Jesse opened his mouth to make an innocent reply-.

-The window smashed in, andflying glass was joined byrain, wind and tornado debris tearing through the room. Jesse shot to his feet as Scott andLogan jumped past him.

A manfell through the jagged hole left by the window- but he looked wrong. Hisface was a sickly greenish-yellow, his eyes blank and amphibious.For an instant Jesse was frozen, glass shardsinhis hair and leaves onhis face. Then the -man- looked at him, opened his mouth...andsomething incredibly sticky splatted against Jesse's face, obliterating his vision and covering his mouth and nose.

As if from underwater Jesse heard the screaming wind and the loud thumps and cracks of a scuffle, punctuated by '_snikt', "crap" and 'bamf.'_ The stuff on his face wouldn't budge, and when he tried to tear it off he only got his hands stuck too. His lungs burned, and the sounds faded together like static and distortion. Just one thing managed to cut through the haze...

..._What the heck was going on?_


	7. Explanation

Jesse's consciousness returned before he opened his eyes. For an instant he panicked, before the familiarity of the situation brought back the memories. His chest felt tired, as though he'd just run a marathon. Voices registered in his perception and he listened, without opening his eyes.

"…breathing was cut off for at least twenty minutes."_ Jean_.

Jesse felt rather than saw her lean against the wall above his head. "Whatever it is he's hiding is the only thing that kept him alive." She sighed. "Jesse, please open your eyes, I know you're awake."

Jesse blinked a few times, adjusting his eyes to the light, then looked up into Jean's tired face. A red cut dripped from just above her left temple and her hair was disheveled. Behind her Kurt crouched, now dressed in a blue jumpsuit with red shoulders and yellow gloves. He watched Jesse intently. The immortal shifted in a tiny bunk and sat up slowly. His vision swam for a second then steadied, the ache in his chest already fading. Jean broke the silence. "Jesse, you're entitled to your secrets. But I would say that this is an extenuating circumstance." She sat down on the floor, moving stiffly, and Jesse saw the patch of dried blood on her left leg. He looked to Kurt for an answer, but was startled by what he saw.

Kurt's eyes, normally so bright and active, were a dull golden color and looked like eyes from a painting. They were flat and lifeless, a sentiment echoed by the tired, pallid gleam of his skin, which was a tinted blue with bruises and shadowed by the minimal light. Jesse thought the light must have been flickering, because Kurt's face did as well, like the jumps and skips of old video footage.

A slight muffled roar told Jesse they were in a plane of some kind, moving fast. Probably to get away from whatever had attacked them. Kurt's soft German accent was barely audible.

"Jesse," he said, and the boy realized what a relief it was to hear Kurt use his real name, "Those people that attacked vant us dead. And Herr Professor thinks they might know about you." The light flickered again, making Kurt's face look desperate. "Vhy don't you trust us?" he whispered.

Jesse stared at his friend, and at Jean's bloody face. Could someone have found out about him? Had Winnie let something slip? Had Miles been found out, and then traced to him? Questions he had no answer to. Jesse ground his teeth. "Tell me about you first."

Jean leaned against the wall, her legs pulled up beneath her chin. She nodded. "Fair enough." She seemed to brace herself, then told her story.

"I was ten years old. My best friend was in a car accident." She drew a breath. "I reached out for her- mentally. Our minds were linked when she died. I was in a coma after that. No doctors could help...except for Xavier. He saved me. When I was a teenager, I came to the institiute. Professor Xavier showed me how to control my powers and to use them to help people." Jean looked up at Jesse. "He saved me," she repeated softly.

Jesse nodded. It didn't take a telepath to see that Jean was loyal to Xavier. He looked to Kurt then, who was fiddling with his watch. The German boy looked up and shifted so that he was sitting with his legs crossed. He looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Kurt fiddled with his holowatch, which had been damaged in the fight. He had intended to tell Jesse before this, but now his courage left him.

"Vhen I vas born...my mother abandoned me. I vas found by a gypsy voman named Margali. She raised me in a circus, vhere I performed. Eventually Herr Professor heard of me and asked me to come to the school." His fingers sought his watch again, and he shrugged, which looked more like a grimace with the flickering. Jesse then noticed that the small, glowing panel overhead was giving off a steady light. The flickering had nothing to do with it.

"I accepted and here I am."

Jesse studied his friend. The flickering continued, and Kurt's skin had an unhealthy blue color. His eyes seemed luminescent. For whatever reason, Jesse felt a chill go down his spine. "What can you do?" He had to ask.

Kurt looked at him, looked away, glanced around the room like a trapped animal looking for an escape. Then he sighed. Only then did Jesse notice that Jean had discreetly left, leaving them alone.

Kurt's gaze returned to his friend, steady but sad. "Brace yourself," he whispered. His fingers hit something on his watch, and Jesse couldn't contain a gasp.

Before him stood a slender, blue-skinned creature. The feet were birdlike, the hands three-fingered. A- a _tail-_ twitched behind the legs, and the eyes glowed an eerie, demonic yellow.

For a second Jesse couldn't breath. Flashbacks of that night in the alley came then, the yellow eyes the last thing in his vision. He looked into those same eyes now, and he saw something like fear, and a deep desperation. Eyes met; blue-gray and fire-yellow. And Kurt's seemed to plead, silently: _Don't be afraid. _

And Jesse found that he wasn't. He saw the features clearly now, without the flickering. This strange figure was still his friend. His friend, who had just trusted him with his darkest secret.

Jesse stood slowly, and put a hand on Kurt's arm. Kurt watched him, hesitant, then slowly smiled. Jesse blinked. Two tiny vampire fangs adorned the boy's grin. Jesse laughed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Kurt fairly beamed. Jesse didn't mind the way he looked! He was still his friend. Then he remembered- Jesse had his story to tell.

"Vell?" he said. Jesse took a breath. He could trust Kurt. He'd found his friends.

"Ok," he said. And began.

AN: Please R&R! This is probably the longest chapter up yet and I'm not sure how soon the next one will come, but I'm working on it. Thanks to emi and ninjagirl44!


	8. Crash Course

_AN: Finally! Here's the new chapter people. I scribbled it rather hastily so I may end up revising. I hate my vocabulary. PLEASE R&R!_

Jesse Tuck had never been in a real fight.

Yeah, there had been the barely avoided fisticuffs in lowlife bars and an occasional brawl, but never a real, bloody-nose, broken-leg fight.

The jet suddenly nosedived. Jean literally shoved Kurt and Jesse from their seats, stuffing parachutes into their hands. Just before the jet crashed into the muddy earth, Jesse, Kurt, Jean and Logan bailed out.

It was raining. The group sank into mud that covered their ankles, the parachutes pooling around them.

And holding the leash to the fallen jet stood Magneto.

Jesse looked the man over. The curved helmet did nothing to diminish his aura of severity.

Being faced with a real battle for the first time, no one could blame the youngest Tuck if his reaction was somewhat naive.

"Blast."

"Jesse!" Kurt called from across the field. The youngest Tuck spun on his heel and ducked, driving into his attacker's legs and crashing into the mud. Toad's amphibious eyes glared blankly as Jesse attempted to pin down his arms and keep his mouth closed. Behind him Jean and Mystique were battling around the fallen jet, both watching Magneto as he circled Scott and Logan.

Toad bucked his torso, throwing Jesse off him into the mud. Kurt ran to the jet and climbed inside. Using a piece of shrapnel from the crash, he severed the seat belts and raced back to the fight.

Jesse snapped his face out of the ground, swiping the mud from his eyes and kicking upwards into Toad's chin. The mutant spun backwards before coming at him again, tongue flashing. Kurt jumped on him from above, locking his slender wrists around Toad's throat. Jesse spared a glance at Jean and Ororo- Mystique had Jean cornered. Scott was unconscious on the ground and Magneto held Logan in the air, metal claws being pulled in painful angles. Ororo sent a burst of lightning into Mystique's morphing form, knocking her to the ground where Jean held her with telekinesis.

Kurt locked his legs around Toad's chest and flung himself backward, pulling Toad on top of him. Jesse grabbed a piece of the jet's wing and clapped it to Toad's face just before he spat. The steel was glued to his mouth, blocking his vision. Kurt wrapped the seat belts around his ankles and hands before knocking him out. Jesse looked up at him. _Nightcrawler._

And Kurt grinned, as though reading his mind. "We need to get a name for ya."

Jesse smiled. "I'd like that."

Kurt looked over to Logan and Magneto. Jesse looked on as blood dripped from Wolverine's hands. And he knew what he had to do.


	9. Author's Notice

Ok, before you start to scream "Where's the update?" hear me out.

Number 1, I am ridiculously sorry it's taking me so ridiculously long.

Number 2, I do have a good reason. I've enrolled in a writing course! And I'm concentrating on my project for that right now.

Number 3, when I started this story I intended to end it after the next battle. Now I'm thinking it may have to be longer. Would anyone be willing to fill in the gaps? I tend to be overly picky but if you can put up with that you can co-author this story.

Number 4, thanks to all my reviewers! You rock!

XJediRangerX


	10. Takedown

_AN: Ok, I ended up rushing this chapter by demand. -Glares- You know who you are! So it's sloppy. Don't whine. And I'm sorry it took me so ridiculously long. I still hate my vocabulary. Oh guys- **if you have any suggestions for what Jesse's superhero name should be, PLEASE TELL ME!** R&R or I'll gully ya!_

Before Kurt could protest, Jesse ripped off his belt- the only thing he was wearing that contained metal- and broke off at a run for Magneto. Logan's face was contorted with a grimace, but when he saw Jesse he took a painful breath and waited.

Jesse waited until he was a few feet from Magneto, then jumped, knocking the metal-manipulator to the ground face-first. Magneto started to sit up and tried to control Jesse; when he found that there was no metal on him, he reached behind his head and grabbed for Jesse's throat. Jesse slipped his hand under Magneto's neck, then grabbed his own hand; he straddled Magneto's shoulders and pulled up, choking him. Eric Lehnsherr gasped, and Jesse pulled up more sharply. Magneto's hand found his throat and squeezed. Jesse drew a breath before the hand clamped down firmly, shutting off his air supply. The minute seemed to go on and on, but eventually Lehnsherr's body went limp, and Jesse gulped a breath.

Logan dropped from the air into the mud, drawing deep breaths before sprinting to help Jean. Mystique was unconscious.

Kurt walked up and stared at the prone Magneto, then at Jesse. The youngest Tuck smiled back, then asked "Where to now?" Kurt shook his head. "Ve can't use the jet. The engine is shot." Behind them Toad, Magneto and Mystique were tied to a tree. "We're walkin'," Logan announced. The group started the long trek back to the mansion, hoping the Brotherhood wouldn't be waiting for them when they got back.


End file.
